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Throughout history, the descendants of the 20th US president spoke proudly about his remarkable life but rarely mentioned his untimely death. “We knew what had happened, that he was gunned down in a transportation hub,” explains one of his family members. “We studied the story in books but, for various reasons, we just skimmed through it.”

Fresh Curiosity in a Historical Figure

This shifted in 2011 with the publication of a historical book, which sparked curiosity in Garfield's unfinished life. The book has now led to a television production titled Death by Lightning, featuring an acclaimed actor as the president and another skilled actor as the wanderer who gunned him down.

The series aims to illuminate Garfield, who emerged from difficult circumstances to the White House during the economic era only to become a casualty to its toxic political divisions. His time in office was ended prematurely after only several months not only by the gunman's shot but by doctor errors – an tragedy now frequently ignored while the killings of the Civil War president and JFK continue to fascinate the public.

“You can't help but be proud what he did. He was like a multi-threat: he was a lawyer, he was a minister, he was a land worker. He was so many things which also formed his character and how he was and everything that we know about him the relatives maintain with us.”

Starting from Nothing to the White House

Garfield was the most recent commander-in-chief born in a log cabin in Ohio in 1831. His father died when he was very young, leaving his mother, Eliza, to raise five children in challenging conditions. An dedicated student, Garfield worked on canal boats to generate income for an education.

He pursued jurisprudence, was ordained as minister, became head of a school in Ohio and was a government official. In 1858 he wed a former classmate, his partner, with whom he would have seven children. An ardent Unionist, Garfield viewed the internal struggle as a righteous fight against forced servitude and progressed to the rank of major general.

“As I studied his life, I was astonished. He was exceptionally intelligent. He was incredibly brave. He was ahead of his time for the era. He was caring. He was a good person and would have been a remarkable commander-in-chief had he remained alive.”

Public Life and Unexpected Nomination

Garfield was convinced by the wartime leader to resign his military commission when he was chosen to the legislative branch, where he would function as a party member for 17 years. He was ardent advocate of racial equality in elections, viewing it as a matter of justice and the fulfillment of a wartime covenant.

“The speech he gave on the legislative arena will move you deeply. He was an remarkable speaker and this topic was extremely significant to him.”

At the party gathering in Chicago the political organization was fundamentally fractured between the “political group”, led by a powerful politician, who supported a additional presidency for Ulysses S Grant, and the “opposing faction”, who supported another candidate. Garfield attended as a backer of his close associate John Sherman.

When the 15,000-person convention was deadlocked between Grant and Blaine, representatives began searching for a middle ground. Garfield's powerful oration nominating Sherman impressed them. During the speech, he reportedly exclaimed, “And now, delegates, what do we want?” to which a voice from the crowd unexpectedly replied, “We want Garfield!”

On the multiple voting round, a wave of backers made Garfield the unexpected candidate. To appease the Stalwart faction, another politician, a political ally from New York, was chosen as his vice president. In the general election Garfield overcame the rival politician to become the only sitting member of the House ever to be elected president.

Short Presidency and Political Battles

“What would have made Garfield great and what is very unusual and maybe particular about the American presidency is he didn't want the job. It's not that he had completely dismissed it but he was forced into the role.”

The central struggle of Garfield's limited administration was his confrontation with Conkling over the “political favors”. Conkling required power over political positions in New York, particularly the powerful and lucrative post of customs official. Garfield refused, stating the issue was “whether the president is registering clerk of the senate or the nation's leader”. He proposed a opponent of Conkling to the post.

The confrontation turned into a visible struggle but Garfield outsmarted Conkling in the Senate. Confronting a public failure, Conkling and his colleague left their positions in protest. The next day, Garfield's candidate was approved. It was a significant win for the power of the presidency over the faction system and for the cause of reform over “machine politics”.

The Gunman and His Disturbed Mind

But even as Garfield battled the titans of his party, he was being stalked by a disturbed and delusional man who embodied the problematic element of the spoils network. The gunman was a drifter with a background of career disappointments, mental instability and childhood trauma. He had been unsuccessful as a attorney, financial agent, religious figure and member of a alternative community.

“He was mentally ill and his unique form of delusion was false belief. He always believed that God had chosen him for significance. He actually had superior economic background than Garfield but where Garfield achieved and rose, Guiteau was unsuccessful in all endeavors.”

But Guiteau believed he had at last discovered a way to accomplishment: politics. Caught up in the excitement of the 1880 election, he created and presented an insignificant speech, and became certain in his thoughts that he was single-handedly responsible for Garfield's victory.

Under this thinking, Guiteau calculated he had merited a prestigious position. He went to the capital and continuously bothered Garfield, Blaine and other officials, requiring to be made the diplomatic representative — a post for which he had zero qualifications. He became such a problem that he was eventually excluded from the White House.

The Assassination and Physician Mistakes

On 2 July 1881, just a short time into his presidency, Garfield was departing the capital for his alumni event. As he moved through the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad station, Guiteau stepped from the shadows, withdrew an handgun from his clothing and assassinated the leader in the back.

Garfield exclaimed: “What's happening?” and fell on the waiting area. When a {police officer|law